Five years ago, Puerto Rico was affected by the biggest and fiercest hurricane in the island’s history. Leaving about 3,000 deaths and widespread destruction, Hurricane Maria marked the beginning of a difficult and uncertain period of time for Puerto Ricans. Many of them lost family members, their homes and all material possessions. The story seems to have repeated itself as Hurricane Fiona has wiped through Puerto Rican territory.
On Sunday, Sept. 19, a major hurricane struck the coast of Puerto Rico. With winds over 155 mph, Hurricane Fiona tore through the country, dropping just over 31 inches of rain in a 72-hour period according to Accuweather.com. More than a week after Fiona, many communities in the island are still flooded with three to four feet of water, and electrical power has not yet been restored in many houses. As of Monday, Sept. 26, a total of 16 deaths have been possibly attributed to Fiona by the National Health Department of Puerto Rico. Three of them have been confirmed to be directly caused by the hurricane, while the rest are still under investigation. Additionally, a health emergency alert has been placed because of the seven arising cases of leptospirosis, a highly lethal and contagious bacterial infection.
On Thursday, Sept. 22, President Joe Biden approved the Major Disaster Declaration, which enables grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-interest loans and more types of financial programs for every Puerto Rican citizen that applies. The Disaster Assistance application can be found on the Federal Emergency Management Agency website.
Despite the approval of this declaration, the sentiments of Puerto Ricans toward the federal response were still unsettled. In a broadcast by PBS NewsHour, Danica Coto, the Caribbean correspondent for the Associated Press, explain the issue in detail. “There was some grumbling because when the major disaster declaration was declared, it did not cover several of the hardest municipalities,” said Coto. “That has since changed, as they’ve been added under the declaration,” she added.
According to Puerto Rican news station Noticentro’s article, in light of the unresponsive attitude of Luma energy, the energy supplier company for Puerto Rico, the citizens and local mayors have started to recruit retired electricians, as well as form brigades to work on the electrical lines around the country. Homeland Security continues to evaluate whether to allow exemption for entry of a diesel boat to land. This boat, sent from the Marshall Islands contains about 300,000 barrels of diesel necessary for restoring hospitals’ and supermarkets’ energy.
Hurricane Fiona caused major damage to Puerto Rico, and the country needs all the support it can get to recover. Several local and international organizations are welcoming donations from those wanting to help. The American Red Cross and FOX partnered to launch a fundraising site where people can make donations for disaster relief efforts. For more information, visit the fundraising website.